International Football History and Statistics

On this day in football history

• 1949 George Lee, Nottingham Forest outside-left, transferred to West Bromwich Albion. Made his League debut during 1936-37 with York City and had just established himself in the side when the Second War broke. Moved to Forest in September 1946. Remained with Albion until 1958 and won an FA Cup medal with them in 1954. Career record: 394 League appearances, 90 goals.
• 1960 Sam Bartram appointed manager of Luton Town, a job which lasted less than two years. At one time he was looked upon as the best uncapped goalkeeper in England and served only one-club, Charlton Athletic, during his playing days. Joined them in 1934 and was in the team which won promotion from the Third South to the First Division in two years 1934-36, and in the post-war sides which went to Wembley in successive years 1946 and 1947. Including war games it is estimated that he played in over 800 first team matches and his record for peacetime football was 583 League matches and 30 FA cup-ties. He retired in 1956 to become manager of York City. His only England appearances were in the unofficial war-time internationals and many will remember his agony at Wembley in April 1940, when a shot slipped from his hands and trickled over the line to give Wales a 1-0 victory on her first appearance at the Stadium.
• 1965 Sir Stanley Matthews appointed general manager of Port Vale, his first administrative job after his retirement from the playing side. Team manager at the club was Jackie Mudie who had been a colleague of Sir Stanley's at Blackpool during their playing careers.
• 1966 In the Group qualifying matches for the World Cup finals held in England, Uruguay drew 0-0 with Mexico at Wembley before 35,000 spectators in what turned out to be the most negative game of the whole tournament. For this match Mexico played Antonio Caravajal in goal and he thus became the only player to have appeared in each of the five World Cup finals since the Second War. At Ayresome Park, North Korea beat Italy 1-0, a shock result comparable with the Yanks' win over England by the same score in 1950. Only 17,829 saw the game, although most were behind the Koreans. In fact from the start the Middlesbrough crowd had decided this was the team they were going to support against all comers. A crowd of 58,479 at Goodison Park saw Brazil beaten 3-1 by Portugal and eliminated from the competition. Switzerland suffered her third defeat being well beaten 2-0 by Argentina at Hillsborough with an attendance of 32,127.